The present invention relates to a fixing device and an image forming apparatus.
Conventionally, there have been well known various kinds of image forming apparatuses that employ the electro-photographic method, such as a printer, a copier, etc. In the image forming apparatus categorized in the abovementioned kind, the operation for fixing a toner image, formed on a paper sheet, onto the paper sheet concerned has been achieved by making the paper sheet Pass through a press-contact section (hereinafter, referred to as a fixing nip area) formed between a pair of fixing members (such as, a pair of fixing rollers), which constitute the fixing device, so as to apply heat and pressure onto the paper sheet concerned. Since the heat and pressure are employed for the fixing operation, sometimes, there has occurred such a trouble that the fixing member has been rolled in the paper sheet that passed through the fixing nip area without separating from the fixing member.
For instance, Tokkai 2005-157179 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication) sets forth such the image forming apparatus that is provided with the separation section for making the paper sheet separate from the fixing member. Concretely speaking, the separation section is constituted by the compressor (air-pump) serving as an air blasting device, and the nozzle, the air blasting edge portion of which is disposed at the paper sheet ejection side of the fixing nip area, so that the pulses of the compression air are emitted from the compressor through the nozzle so as to make the paper sheet separate from the fixing member. Further, Tokkai 2005-157179 also sets forth such the method in which the nozzle is disposed near the circumferential surface of the fixing member, so as to heat up the temperature of the compression air by utilizing the radiation heat irradiated from the fixing member or the heat generated by the heating device incorporated independently, and then, the heated compression air is emitted.
According to the method set forth in Tokkai 2005-157179, however, there has been such a fear that, since the heat to be employed for heating up the compression air is also transferred to the air blasting device concerned, the separation section would be deteriorated considerably.